Combination railway-track clamp



Feb. 3, 1931. WALTEMATE 1,790,889

COMBINATION RAILWAY TRACK CLAMP Filed May 12, 1930 1 .UNITEDI STAPatented Feb. 3, 1931 TEST:

. IIERMAN W LTEMATEQ on EAST, ST. Louis, ILLINQIS, vnssrctnort or"one-HALF TO LAWRENCE MARK GHARTRAND, OF EAST S'LZZLOUIS, ILLINOIS ICOMBINATION RAILWAY-TRACK otA ctfI' Application filed May 12,

track clamp, the peculiarities of which will therail to atie; secondly,to eliminate most I Fig. 4, a vertical se t on onth line-1' 1 'my' clampcombined with a metal tie;

be hereinafter fully described and claimed. i The main objects of myinvention are: first, toprovide an efiicient rail clampforsecurmg of theusual fastening bolts and spikes at the rail joint and elsewhere;thirdly, to support the rail head firmly at said joint; fourthly, tocombine such a clamp with the usual wood tie; fifthly, to provide such aclamp with detachable dowel pins insertablethroughthe usual bolt holesin abutting rail ends and eliminate the usual angle fishplateysixthly,and other features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing on which like reference numerals indicatecorrespond-1 ingparts, V r I 1 Fig. lrepresents a side view of my clampand-track rails mounted'on a' wood tie and constituting thepreferr'edform; V

Fig. 2, a plan view of a portion'ofF-ig. 1;

of my clamp;

Fig. 3, a reversedplan of the'ba-seiplate ofFigl; k Fig. 5, a similarviewto' Fig.1, showing.

Fig. 6, a plan view of a portion of Fig. and 1 l I e Fig. 7, a verticalsection on the'line 7- of Fig. 5. I

My construction practically eliminates the; usual spikes securing thebase flanges. of track rails to wooden ties, and also doesaway with theusual bolts and angle fishplates' at abutting joints of track rails. I

- Referring to the drawing, the numeral 8 indicates track rails disposeda suitable gauge distance apart for a railway. Below each rail islocated a base plate 9Jsecured to the tie and having atone endintegral-therewith an upwardly extending jaw 10 extending I over thebase flange and upward to engage the underside of the rail head. Amovable jaw is mounted on this base plate and consists-ofa head 11extending over the baseflange and engaging the underside'of the 1930..,Serial no. 451,669.

rail head similarly that of the fixed jaw 10. The movable aw'has a shank12 extending at right angles from the. head and the" track rail andslideable between two upwardly extending lugs 13 integral with the said'b'a-s'e'plate and located on the opposite side of therail from thefixed jaw'10. 1

These lugs have horizontally aligned openings in a plane'near the uppersurface of said.

shank=12in which shank is a slot 1 1 aligned ith said openings in thelugsand having the edge towards the rail preferably beveled downward forengagement with a wedge-key l 15 likewise preferably beveledfOrT'engagement with the. beveled surface of said slot 1 1. This wedgekeybears against the openings in the lugs andforces the movable jaw mem-'berfagainst the rail and clamps the rail in cooperation with the fixedjaw 10 which forms a buttress. The bevel edges of the slotand the.wedgeikey tend to hold the shank flat upon thebase plate, and the jawhead 11, combined w'ith ,thefixed jaw 10, holds the track Y rail firmlyin position on the base plate.

On the bottom of the base plate under the the tie,;asindicated inFig. 1. The base plate 1 and 'tiearesecurelyvbound together. by afasteningsuch as a stirrup strap 17 passing under the tie andhaving'its"ends connected by athe baseplate when desirable as in the case therails are used to conduct electric current for block signal or otherpurposes- This base plate is in duplicate'Iundereach rail=as shown in Fig.;1,,an'd the fixed j aw10 is preferably on the corresponding side ofthe rails,- and the-movable jaw is likewise located rail is a downwardprojection 16, preferably 'roundedras shown in F ig; 3,. adapted to beinserted inan auger holeibored in the top of as shown. inFig. 1. Thebase plates have two downwardly: depending arms 20 and 21 .re-

spectivelyadapted to be disposed along the sides of thetie and ending inflanges 23 which are also provided with insulatingplates 24. Holes inthe flanges are provided with fas-' tening bolts having insulatingwashers 26, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The middle of the tie is thusexposed, and promotes better con tact of the respective base plates withthe tie. lhe tie can spring up in the center without interfering withthe base plates near theends The insulating piece 24 or otherfillerbetween the end flanges 23 will vary in thickness I according tothe shrinkage of the castings,-

and the wider gauge between the rails which is required upon a curvedtrack. Thus said piece 24 serves as an adjustable filler as well as aninsulation from electricity when so required.

' The stirrup strap 17 preferably located as shown, between the wedgekey and the re spective rail. 7 j g s The abutting'ends of the rails areprovided with holes through the web for the inser tion of boltsconnecting angle fish platesin the usual construction.v Atleast two-ofthese holes ata rail oint are embraced by the aws 1,0 and 11 of myclamp. Said aws are provided with sockets 27 opposite these holes in Iwhich are located dowel pins 28 as shown in Fig. 2, when the rail jointis enclosed by the jaws. These sockets are elongated corre sponding tothe elongated holes in the usual fish plates as required for theexpansionfiof track rails. The dowel pins are not used except when myclamp embraces a railjoint in inthe usual angular fishplates.

' While my preferred form of clam 7 s u'sed with a wood tie, I, havealso shown'it in Figs. 5-7 as applied to a metal tie 29 having wallsformingchambers as in Fig. 7 I iclaim: i P 1. A combination railwaytrack clamp comprising a clamp for each rail each consisting of a baseplate having lugs and having a jaw integral with said plate andinclinednpward which latter case thev correspond to the bolts 'andfitting the undersideof the rail head and -the top of the base-flangeand 'forininga buttress, a movable jawiormlng the other clamp ing memberand comprising a head fitting under the rail head and above the baseflange an the opposite side of the rail and having a shank extending atright angles to the M11 and a matching movable -'j awha'ving ahead to inclamping engage the underside of the rail head and top of the baseflange opposite said buttress and having a shank extending at rightangles to said head and between said lugs, and a wedge key mounted insaid openings and engaging said shank, substantially as described.

'3. The combination with trackfrails dis- 7 posed awsuitable gaugedistance apart forming abutting rail joints having the usual bolt holesin the rail web, and a wood -tie,-ofa clamp for each rail, said clampsconsisting of base plates mounted on the tie and supporting'the adjacentrail joint and detachably connectedtogether each plate having anupwardly extending jaw member integral. therewithand engaging theunderside of the rail head and topof the base flange,a mov: able jawmember having a head similarly engagingthe opposite side of said, rail,said jawshaving sockets alining with theholes at the railjoint, anddowel pins mounted in said sockets and passing through saidirail holes,and means to secure the movablejaw vposition, substantially as,described- 7 s i 4'. The combination with track rails disposed'asuitable gauge distance apart, and a wood tie, of a clamp for each raileach comprising base plate mounted on the tier-and below the rail andprovided with clamping 9 jaws -l'lor the adjacent vjrail and having adownward projection below the rail engaging an alining hole in the tie,and means to secure said base plate-upon the tieiand maintaintheengagement of said downward projeotiontherewith, substantially asdescribed. "Thecombination'with track railsand a wood tie,.of baseplates mounted on said tie andpsupporting said rails and havingdepending lugs extending alongside the tie and adjustably connectedtogether near the cen- ,t-er of thetie,- saidhase plates being providedwith clamping jaws engaging :opposite sides at the respective rail, andmeans to clamp said jaws upon the rails, substantially as describedf 6.The combination with a track rail and a wood tie, of baseplates mountedon the tie and supporting the adjacent rails and each provided with anintegral jaw and a movable jaw, .both jaws inclined upward fromthe baseplate and engaging the underside of the rail head, .means to clamp themovable against the rail, and a stirrup strap extending under the tieandconnected above the movable jaw and adapted to hold the mom able jawandbaseplate anditie firmly together, substantially as describedv 7; Thecombination with trackzrails and 'a wood tie, of :a base plate mountedbetween the tie ande'ach rail: and each base; plate provided with fixedand movable clamping awe and having depending arms extending to wardeach other and disposed onojpposite sides offthe wood tie and havingadjacent flanged ends near the center provided with bolt holes,insulating pieces mounted between said ends and at the outside of saidflanges, bolts passing through said flanges and insulating pieces, andstirrups embracing the tie and extending above the plates and movablejaws and insulated therefrom, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a track rail an wood tie, of base plates on saidtie supporting the rails and each having an integral fixed jaw atone'end engaging the underside of the rail head and top of the baseflange and having on the opposite end upwardly extending lugs withaligned openings, a movable jaw having a head engaging the underside ofthe rail head and the top of the base flange on the opposite side of therail from the fixed jaw and having a shank extending from the headbetween said lugs and provided with a slot on its upper surface, oneside of which is beveled, a wedge key mounted in said aligned openingsand having a matching bevel-engaging that of said slot in the shank, andfastening means for each base plate and located between said wedge andthe adjacent rail for securing the movable jaw and base plate to saidtie.

In testimony whereof I have afi'ixed my signature.

HERMAN WALTEMATE.

